Carburetor controlled clutch operating apparatus



Sept. 15, 1936. J, 5 N MCCOLLUM 2,054,634

. CARBURETOR CONTROLLED CLUTCH OPERATING APPARATUS Original Filed March 8, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR f/enr'q JDe/V. Mcollum ATTORNEY S P 1936- H. .1. DE N. M COLLUM 2,054,634

GARBURETOR CONTROLLED CLUTCH OPERATING APPARATUS Original Filed March 8, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Henry .IDe/V. M0 Collum ATTORNEY moved.

Patented Sept. 15, 1936 CARBURETOR CONTROLLED CLUTCH OPERATING APPARATUS Henry J. De N. McCollum, Evanston, Ill.

Application March 8, 1932, Serial No.

Renewed January 31, 1936 12 Claims.

The present invention comprises further improvements on, and modifications of the general type of apparatus disclosed in the co-pending application of James H. K. McCollum and myself, Ser. No. 503,768 filed December 20, 1930."

In the apparatus disclosed in said co-pendingapplication the carburetor throttle valve forms the direct and sole means for controlling the flow of air through the conduit or series of passages connecting the intake manifold of the motor car with the vacuum cylinder which operates the usual form of apparatus for moving the clutch lever of the motor car into and out of clutch engaging and disengaging positions.

In such apparatus of the type there described" taining the piston (or other expansible and con-.

tractile element) by which said clutch lever is In certain cases the correspondingly rapid inflow of air to said cylinder through said comparatively large port when the throttle valve begins to open causes a corresponding rapid clutch engaging action of the clutch lever and it may be desirable to further reduce and control this rate of inflow. Also it is desirable in certain cases to have said port in the wall of the carburetor casing of lesser cross sectional area for'other reasons, such as the resulting promptness'and certainty, or much more accurate graduation, of the operation of the device then effected through slight movements of the throttle valve.

Thevpresent invention isdesigned to produce further refinements of the original broad invention along the outlines above described and broadly stated comprises the introduction into the combination of a second valve (other than the throttle valve) which shall also have a controlling action on the flow of air through the conduit and passages connecting the power-producing unit with the intake manifold. The best forms 'of apparatus for certain special uses at present known to me embodying my presentinvention are illustrated in the accompanying two sheets of drawings in which I Fi 1 is a diagrammatic view of one form of apparatus with the associated parts of a motor 'agrammatically illustrated at 56.

car of standard construction, certain parts being shown in section and others broken away.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal, detafl cross section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, vertical section of an- 5 other form of carburetor which may be used in place of the simple form indicated in the arrangement shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic vertical section, and

Fig. 5 is a detail side view of a portion of another modified form of carburetor construction which may be substituted for that shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a' detail vertical section of still another form of carburetor with a modified arrangement of the air-conduit in relation thereto, and

Fig. 7 is a similar view of a further modification of the form shown in Fig. 6.

Throughout the drawings like reference figures indicate like parts.

Referring to. Fig. 1 the general arrangement of apparatus there shown includes a clutch lever 32 fast on the clutch operating shaft 22 and normally swung to the right to produce clutch engagement by the usual clutch closing springs, di-

Clutch lever 32 is operative-connected to one end of piston rod 3|, on the other end of which is piston 30 sliding in the cylinder 29 closed at the left hand end except for an opening to conduit 38, but open to the'atmosphere at the right hand end through the ports 39in the cylinder head. This cylinder has a hinged mounting at 9 to allow for the angularity of clutch lever 32 and the conduit 38 should have sufiicient flexibility to permit of slight movements of said cylinder about the pivotal center 9. The carburetor casing 33 is connected to the intake manifold 13 of the motor car by means of a flanged joint l3a, I2, 33a in which 12 is a gasket of metal or other firm material. The cylinder 29 is connected to the intake manifold l3 or to the atmosphere through the conduit section 38a and the valve apparatus indicated generally at I, said valve apparatus also being connected to the other conduit section 38 and having an air port i I.

The valve apparatus I comprises the generally cylindrical casing 2-in which reciprocates a balanced piston valve 3 across the annular ports 4 and 5 to' which the conduits 38 and 38a are respectively connected. A compression spring 6 is confined between the left hand end of the valve piston 3 and the casing head 2a which may be screwed into position as indicated. This casing head 2a has a port which is connected by a length of small sized tubing 1 to the interior of the 65 casing 2, and I is an air port in that end of the casing to permit free movement of said valve piston. II is the air port first above mentioned, and is so located in the side of the valve casing that it will be uncovered by the right hand portion of the valve piston 3 at or before the moment said valve piston comes against stop 8.

The above described apparatus is designed to be applied to carburetors already installed in motor cars, and to that end the gasket I2 is inserted between the carburetor flange and the flange of the manifold, with the hereinbefore mentioned tube 1 passing through said gasket. The end of this tube is bent downward so that its extremity is just below the edge of the throttle valve 35 when the latter is in idling position (the idling apparatus not being here illustrated) and said lower end of the tube is closed, but a small port 34 is formed in the side of said tube adjacent to the edge of the said throttle valve. Preferably the throttle valve 35 has a notch or recess 36 cut in it to permit passage of the tube I therethrough and, to prevent leakage, any suitable filling 23 of solder or cement may be used which also holds the tube end firmly in position against the inner wall of the carburetor casing 33.

The operation of the above described apparatus is as follows: When the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 1 the relatively high degree of vacuum existing in the intake manifold and in the carburetor casing above throttle 35 produces a corresponding vacuum in the left hand end of the valve casing 2 suflicient to compress spring 6 to the extent shown and cause valve piston 3 to rest against the end of the tubular flange on casing head 2a and thereby open communication between the two sections of conduit 38 and 38a and produce a partial vacuum in cylinder 29 to the left of piston 30, thereby pulling said piston to the left and opening the clutch. When, however, throttle valve 35 begins to open, and before it has had a chance to open far enough to speedup the motor to any considerable extent, the left hand edge of throttle valve '35 passes over port 34 in tube 1, thereby admitting air at substantially atmospheric pressure to the left hand end of the valve casing 2 and so equalizing the pressures on the opposite ends of valve piston 3, with the result that spring 5 is allowed to expand, forcing said valve piston to the right against stop 8. This closes off communication between conduit sections 38 and 38a and opens communication between the interior of cylinder 29 and the atmosphere through conduit 38, the valve casing, and port II in the wall of said valve casing. Thereupon the clutch springs 56 cause the clutch to close, as air flows in to the left hand end of cylinder 29. Whenever the throttle valve 35 is brought back to idling position, a partial vacuum is reestablished in the left hand end of casing 2, valve piston 3 moves to the left, back into the position shown in Fig. 1, and the full vacuum in manifold I3 is instantly applied-to the interior of cylinder 29, pulling the clutch open against the resistance of springs 56.

In Fig, 3 the port 39a instead of being formed in the wall of tube 1 is bored through the wall of carburetor casing 33 and connected to the end of the valve operating tube Ia.

One form of idling jet apparatus is indicated at 31 in the carburetor shown in Fig. 3 and the inner surfaces of the carburetor casing are curved as shown at 33a so that the throttle valve may pass beyond the port 34a, as there illustrated, before the throttle is opened beyond the furthest limit of its range of idling positions. 24 indicates a second port in the carburetor casing which might be connected to the other end of cylinder 29 if the clutch operating unit were a double acting one, all in the manner explained in the above noted co-pending application.

In Fig. 4 is diagrammatically illustrated another modiflcation of the construction shown in Fig. 1 inwhich the side of the end portion of tube lb is depressed to form a short section 25 having a concave surface which is shaped on an are which is concentric with the axis of carburetor valve 35, and in this concave portion of the tube wall is located port 34b, as best shown in Fig. 5. The extreme end of the tube lb is closed, as in the case ,of tube 1.

In the modifications illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7 the slower clutch engagement is produced without sacrificing the rapidity of clutch disengagement by using a simpler form of apparatus in which the interior of carburetor casing 33 is connected directly through a port 34a and tube It to the conduit section 381;, the other end of which 25 opens into cylinder 29, the desired slower inflow of air to cylinder 29 being produced by the check valve I5 which has the central perforation l6. Said check valve rests on the seat IS in conduit 38b. When the throttle is in idling position as in- 3( dicated in Fig. 6 the intake manifold is connected directly through port 34a, tube 14 and conduit 33b to the cylinder 29, and the check valve It, being then temporarily raised against stop i'l, permits a rapid flow of air from the cylinder to the msni- 34 direction of the arrow, air at atmospheric pressure from the lower portion of the carburetor interior flows to cylinder 29, but, said current of air being with drawn through the small perforation It in the check valve, the clutch engaging movement is correspondingly slowed down. 4

In Fig. '7 this rate of clutch engagement may be further controlled by means of a by-pass eonduit l9 connected at one end to the interior of the carburetor casing at a point well above the throttle valve, and at the other end to the conduit 33b 5 at a point below the check valve l5. Preferably conduit l9 has a leakage port for the constant inflow of air as indicated at 20, the eflective ,opening of which may be made adjustable by means of a screw cap 2| which serves as a sleeve valve 5 cooperating with said port 20.

In the operation of, the modified apparatus shown in Fig. '7 the intake manifold vacuum, if any, is effective at all times and continues to operate to a small extent on the cylinder 29 through 1 the by-pass l9 even after the throttle valve passes port 34a in its opening motion, as indicated in Fig. '7. The pull of the vacuum through tube l9, however, is mainly met by inflow of air through port 20 so that after the throttle begins to open 1 the far greater portion of the air flowing in through port 34a and perforation I! in check valve l5 goes to cylinder 29, little if any,-being diverted to tube l9. The amount of air so diverted can be controlled by adjusting cap valve 2|, and if this is unscrewed suliiciently enough air will enter to supply currents in both directions, as indicated by the two arrows. Conversely when throttle valve 35 is moved to its idling position with its edge below port 34a the vacuum pull 1 -obviously be made without departing from the' underlying principle of my present invention which consists essentially in the introduction, into the broad combination described inthe above copending application, of a second valve (such as shown at 3 in Fig. 1, or at ii in Figs. 6 and 7) which is actuated by the movements of the throt-. tle valve and serves'in controlling the flow of air to and from the cylinder 29, such second valve (whether having the construction andarrangement shown in Figs. 1 to 5 orthat shown in Figs. Y, 6 and 7) is substantially a relay valve, operating on the principle of relay apparatus of many known types both pneumatic and electrical.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a fluid pressure power producing apparatus for use in connection with an internal combustion motor, the combination, with the throttle valve of the carburetor for such motor and a conduit through which fluid under pressure flows to or from such apparatus, of a second valve apparatus included in said conduit and adapted to vary the flow of such fluid therethrough, said second valve apparatus being actuated directly and solely by the movements of said throttle valve in cooperation with a port in the carburetor structure whereby the operation of said fluid pressure apparatus ,is controlled with certainty by said carburetor throttle valve.

2. The combination, with the throttle valve-oi a carburetor for an internal combustion motor' and a fluid pressure apparatus comprising a conduit through which fluid under pressure flows, of a second valve apparatus controlling passage through said conduit, a second fluid pressure apparatus actuating'said second valve apparatus, and a second conduit connecting said second fluid pressure apparatus with a port in said carburetor wall controlled by the initial opening, and flnal closing, movements of said carburetor throttle valve.

3. A combination such as defined in claim 2 in which said second valve apparatus is normally spring held in one position but may be moved,

by variations in fluid pressure transmitted to said second fluid pressure apparatus through said second conduit.

4. A combination such as defined in claim 2 in which said second valve apparatus is normally spring held in one position but may be moved by variations in fluid pressure transmitted to said second fluid pressure apparatus through said second conduit, and in which said port to which of said throttle valve when the latter is said second conduit is connected is located at a point in the carburetor wall adjacent the edge of the throttle valve therein when the latter is in idling position, and on the side thereof toward whichsaid valve must swing when further opened.

5.- A combination such as defined in claim 2 in which said second valve apparatus comprises a cylindrical casing having two ports in its side walls to which divided portions of said first mentioned conduit are respectively connected, a valve piston in said casing cooperating with saidports, and a spring normally holding said piston at one end of said casing, said second conduit connecting the other end of said casing with the interior of said carburetor at a point adjacent the edge of the throttle valve when it is in idling position; whereby movement of said throttle valve will vary the degree of atmospheric pressure existing in one end of said valve casing and 50pmduce movements of said valve piston.

6. A combination such as defined in claim 1 in which said second valve apparatus comprises a check valve in said conduit having an air passage of small cross section extending therethrough.

7. A structure such as defined in claim 1 in which said second valve apparatus comprises a check valve in said conduit having an air passage of small cross section extending there'- through, combined with a second conduit of small efi'ectlve interior cross section which by-passes both valves and has a small leakage port in its walls.

8. In an apparatus for transmitting the subatmospheric pressure existing in the interior of a carburetor to a pneumatically operable device, the combination, with a carburetor having a throttle valve, of a tube of small diameter extending into said carburetor from the discharge end of the mixture passage therein to the edge in idling position.

9. A combination such as defined in claim 8 in which the end of said tube is closed but its side wall is provided with a small port located just abovethe edge of said throttle valve.

10. A combination such as defined in claim 8 in which the end of said tube is closed but its side wall is provided with a small port located just above the edge of said throttle valve, said side wall being. curved concavely on an arc concentric with the center about which said throttle valve rotates.

11. A combination such as defined in claim 8 in which the edge of said throttle valve has a notch which fits closely around the end of said tube.

12. A combination such as defined in claim 8 in which theedge of said throttle valve has a notch which fits closely around the end of saidtube and in which any otherwise open spaces between said tube and the inner surface of the wall of said carburetor are filled up with a suitable material to prevent leakage of air around said wall.

HENRY J. DE N. MCCOLLUM. 

